Lagos Begins Demolition Of Illegal Buildings At Trade Fair Complex

Lagos State government has demolished illegal and defective structures at the Trade Fair Complex in Ojo to restore order and enforce its physical planning laws.

It was gathered that about 19 buildings were pulled down yesterday at the New Mandela Plaza, within the popular Trade Fair Complex in Lagos.

The state government said the structures are without statutory approvals, are defective, and are built on road setbacks and drainage.

Confirming the demolition exercise, the Senior Special Assistant on New Media to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Jubril Gawat, in a post on X, said the operation was targeted at “illegal developments, structures without statutory approvals, defective structures, and buildings erected on road setbacks and drainages.”

Gawat said the government took the action because the unapproved structures were haphazardly built in the complex.

He said, “The Lagos State Government has begun removing illegal developments, structures without statutory approvals, defective structures, and structures built on road setbacks and drainages in the Trade Fair Complex, Ojo Local Government area.”

It was further gathered that the Ministry of Physical Planning, Lagos State Building Control Agency, Lagos State Urban Renewal Agency, and the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority jointly carried out the operation.

Officials from the Office of Infrastructure, members of the Lagos State House of Assembly, and security agencies supported them during the exercise.

Bulldozers were seen pulling down marked structures, while some traders and shop owners looked on with concern over the impact on their businesses.

The Sanwo-Olu-led administration had warned residents against building any structure without proper approvals or blocking drainage channels, pointing out that these violations are contributing to incidents of flooding in the metropolis, traffic congestion, and urban disorder in Lagos.